1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a mine shaft conveyance system.
2. Description of Related Art
Existing underground mines use vertical shafts and a system of personnel cages and ore and material skips for transporting men and materials underground. The cages and skips are carried by steel ropes which are wound in and out on drums. In the underground mine itself, trains, conveyors and so forth are used to transport men and materials from one point to another. There are practical limitations on the depth of shafts imposed by the capacities of the winding equipment used to raise and lower the shaft conveyances. In deep mines, this means that sub-shafts may have to be sunk underground. This in turn means that to get to the bottom of the mine, men and materials may have to transfer from one shaft to another. Clearly, the required transfer from one shaft to another is time-consuming and counter-productive. Even when the men and materials have arrived at the required level in the mine, time is lost in travelling by one means or another to the work site.